Seat lifter for toilet bowls



Feb. 25, 1941. WHITE 2,232,895

SE AT LIFTER FOR TOILET BOWLS Filed July 1, 1939 Patented Feb. 25, 1941UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Claims.

My invention relates to improvements'in seat lifters for toilet bowls.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of novel mechanismfor lifting the seat of 6 a toilet bowl of the type having a footdepressed leverfor effecting such lifting.

Another object of my invention is the provision of novel means forsupporting the lever, carried wholly by the toilet bowl.

A further object of my invention is the provision of novel seat liftingmeans by which the lever when depressed will lift the seat to an openinclined position, and which permits the seat to be lifted by hand to afully open position unsupported by the lever.

Another object of my inventionis the provision of novel buffer meanswhich yieldingly resists the downward movement of the seat to preventslamming of the seat. a

2 i Still another object of my invention is the provision of a novelseat lifting mechanism, which is simple, cheap to make and easily andquickly installed without having to make any floor attachments, andwhich is easily operated and. efficient in its operation.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates my invention,

3.0 Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing my improved seat liftingmechanism o'peratively applied to a toilet bowl, the parts being shownin solid lines with the seat lowered, part of the lid beingbro'ken away.In dotted lines the parts are shown in the positions occupied by themwhen the seat'is lifted to an inclined position, as shown in dottedlines, part of the seat being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to- Fig. l, the parts being shown in thepositions occupied by them when the seat has been lifted by hand to thefully open position and inclining rearwardly.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of what is shown in Fig. l in solid lines.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the buffer member and a lowerpart of the link.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional View of the buffer member, thelower portion of the link, and parts connected to the buffer member,partly in section and partly in elevation.

Fig. 6 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of the leversupporting member.

Fig. 7 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section of amodified form of the lever supporting member, shown attached to thebowl, and a portion of the lever.

disengagement accidentally from the bowl.

- Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective of the lever supporting member shownin Fig. 7.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts in the diiferentviews.

l designates an ordinary toilet bowl, 2 the seat hinged thereto, and 3the lid also hinged to the bowl. I

4 designates a vertical lever supporting member having at its upper enda hook 5 adapted to fit over the upper edge of the bowl I, and providedwith a set screw 6 adapted to bear against the outer side of .the bowl,to hold the member 4 from The lower end portion of the member'4 isbifurcated and its arms respectively provided with two slots 1. r

8 is a forwardly and rearwardly extending lever at one side of the bowlI, and having extending through it and carried by it a transverse pivotpin 9, the ends of which are respectively slidable in the slots 1.

The lever 8 is designed to have its forward end depressed by the foot,and at its rear end it is pivoted by a pin l0 to the lower end portionof an upwardly and downwardly extending link II, the upper end of whichis pivoted by a pin 12 to one arm of a right angled bracket l3, theother arm of which is fastened to the .under side of the seat 2 adjacentto the rear endthereof.

When the seat 2 islowered, as shown in solid lines in Fig. 1, .the pin 9rests on the supporting member 4 at the lower ends of the slots 1.

When the front end of the lever isdepressed, the link II will be forcedupwardly to an extent that the seat "2 will be lifted to the open.inclined position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

If it is desired to lift the seat by hand to the fully open position,shown in Fig. 2, the slots 1 permit the pin 9 to slide upwardly in theslots to the position shown in Fig. 2.

To prevent the seat 2 from slamming, when lowered, resilient resistingmeans are provided comprising the following described parts. The lowerend:of the link H is cylindrical and has slidably fitted on it a tubularbuffer member l4 having in its opposite walls two vertical slots IS inwhich are respectively slidable the ends of a pin I6 which is tightlyfitted in a transverse hole in the link H. The lower end of the buffermember I4 has fastened in it a disk I! against the upper side of whichbears the lower end of a .coil spring 18, the upper end of which bearsagainst the lower end of the link I l. A soft rubber button I9 ismounted on the lower end of the buffer member 14, and is adapted tostrike the floor, when the seat 2 is lowered and with it the link H.

In operation, the foot depresses the front end 5 of the lever 8, thusthrough the link II and bracket l3 lifting the seat 2 to the inclinedposition, shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines. Upon withdrawing or lesseningthe foot pressure, the seat 2 lowers by gravity, and before it strikesthe bowl l, the buffer member button I9 strikes the floor, therebyresisting the downward movement of the link II due to the lattercompressing the spring l8, and the link II will hold the seat fromslamming against the bowl.

If it is desired to lift the seat by hand to the fully open position,the pin 9 sliding in the slots 1 permits of such movement.

In the modification, shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the support for the lever 8comprises a right angled member one horizontal arm 20 of which rests onthe flange 2| at the lower part of the bowl I, and a bolt 22, which isemployed to fasten the bowl to the floor, is extended through a hole 23in said arm, and fastens the latter tightly to the upper side of theflange 2|. The other arm 24 of the right angled lever supporting memberis bifurcated and its arms are provided respectively with slots 25 inwhich are respectively slidably fitted the ends of the pivot pin 9.

In operation, the supporting member 20-24, pivotally supports the lever8 in the same manner as does the member 4 of the form shown in Fig. 1.

By supporting the lever on a member wholly carried by the bowl I, as isthe casein both forms of my invention, no floor attachment are required,and the device may be mounted easily in operative condition on the bowlby an unskilled persion.

Other modifications of my invention, within 40 the scope of the appendedclaims, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever,and means actuated by said 45 lever for lifting said seat, of a memberhaving a hook engaging and supported by the upper end of said bowl andalone supporting said member, and means pivotally engaging said leverwith said member.

2. In combination, a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever, andmeans actuated by said lever for lifting said seat, of a membersupported by said bowl, and means pivotally and slidably engaging saidlever with said member for permit- 55 ing sliding of said lever withinpredetermined limits with respect to said member.

3. In combination, a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever, andmeans actuated by said lever for lifting said seat, of a member having ahook 60 engaging and supported by the upper end of said bowl and alonesupporting said member said member having a slot, and a pivot pincarried by said lever and slidable in said slot and supported by saidmember when at one end of said slot.

4'. In combination, a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever, andmeans pivotally supporting said lever, of a link pivoted to said seatand to said lever, for lifting the seat when the lever is swung in onedirection, a buffer member slidable on said link and adapted to strikethe floor when said seat is lowered, and resilient means carried by saidlink for resisting the downward movement of said link when said buffermember strikes the floor.

5. In combination, a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever, and alink pivoted to said seat and to said lever, of means supported by saidbowl for pivotally supporting said lever, and resilient means carried bysaid link and adapted to strike the floor when said seat is lowered forresisting downward movement of said seat.

6. In combination, a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever, and alink pivoted to said seat and to said lever, of a member having a hookengaging and supported by the upper edge of said bowl and alonesupporting said member, and to which member said lever is pivoted, andresilient means carried by said link and adapted to strike the floorwhen said seat is lowered for resistin downward movement of said seat.

'7. In combination, a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever, anda link pivoted to said seat and to said lever, of a. member having ahook engaging and supported by the upper edge of said bowl said memberhaving a longitudinal slot, a pin carried by said lever and slidable insaid slot and supported by said member when at one end of said slot, andresilient means carried by said link and adapted to strike the floor forresisting downward movement of said seat.

8. In combination, a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever, and alink pivoted to said seat and to said lever, of a member having a hookengaging and supported by the upper edge of said seat and alonesupporting said member, said member being pivoted to said lever, abuffer member slidable on said link and adapted to strike the floor whensaid seat is lowered, and a spring bearing against said link and saidbuffer member, and which is compressed when said buffer member strikesthe floor.

9. In combination, a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever, andmeans actuated by said lever for lifting said seat, of a membersupported by said bowl and having a vertical slot, and a pivot pincarried by said lever and slidable in said slot and when said seat islowered resting on said member at the lower end of said slot, saidactuating means, when said lever is depressed to its lowest positionlifting said seat to an inclined open position, said pin being movableupwardly in said slot, should said seat be raised by hand above saidinclined position.

10. In combination, a toilet bowl, a hinged seat therefor, a lever, andmeans actuated by said lever for lifting said seat only to an openinclined position, of a member having a hook engaging and supported bythe upper edge of said bowl and alone supporting said member said memberhaving a vertical slot, and a pin carried by said lever and slidable insaid slot and resting on said member in the lower end of said slot whensaid seat is lowered, and being movable upwardly in said slot shouldsaid seat be raised by hand above said inclined position.

HALBERT L. WHITE.

